AFGHANISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

NATIONAL FLAG

HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY

First of all, who are the Afghanis? Afghanistan has historically been the link between Central Asia, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent. It is therefore a nation made up of many different nationalities – the result of innumerable invasions and migrations. Within its current borders there are at least a dozen major ethnic groups – Baluch, Chahar Aimak, Turkmen, Hazara, Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, Pashai and Persian.

Historically the Pashtun nationality has been the most dominant. The term Afghan, for example, generally is viewed by other peoples in the country to refer to the Pashtuns. The royal families of the country were Pashtun, and today the Pashtun represent about 50% of the total population. Tajiks come in second with 25%, and the rest make up considerably smaller percentages.
Within the country there are tiny Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities, but the vast majority of this people are Muslims – and in fact many ethnic groups consider Islam to be one of the defining aspects of their ethnic identity.
Islam was brought to Afghanistan during the eight and ninth century by the Arabs. Prior to that the nation had been ruled by various Persian, Greek, Sassasian and Central Asian empires. Following a subsequent break down in Arab rule, semi-independent states began to form. These local dynasties and states however were overwhelmed and crushed during the Mongolian invasions of the 1200s – conquerors who were to remain in control of part or all of the country until the 1500s, despite much resistance and internal strife. Following the collapse of Mongol rule, Afghanistan found itself in a situation much like what has continued into modern times – caught between the vice of two great powers. During this time it was the Mughals of northern India and the Safavids of Iran that fought over the mountains and valleys of Afghanistan. Armies marched to and fro devastating the land and murdering the people, laying siege to city after city, and destroying whatever had been left by the invading army that preceded it.
It was not until 1747 that Afghanistan was able to free itself. This was the year that Nadir Shah, an empire builder from Iran, died and left a vacuum in central Asia that a former Afghan bodyguard, named Ahmed Shah, was able to fill. Ahmad was a Pashtun, and his Pashtun clan was to rule Afghanistan, in one form or another, for the next 200 years.
Ahmad was able to unify the different Afghan tribes, and went on to conquer considerable parts of what are today eastern Iran, Pakistan, northern India and Uzbekistan. His successors though proved unable to hold his vast empire together, and within 50 years much of it had been seized by rival regional powers. Within the country there were numerous bloody civil wars for the throne, and for many Afghanis it meant little that their lives were now being uprooted and destroyed by ethnic kin, as opposed to foreign invaders.
Beginning in the 1800s Afghanistan’s internal affairs became dramatically aggravated by the increasing intervention by two new imperialist powers – the British Empire and Czarist Russia. The British were expanding and consolidating their colonial holdings on the India sub-continent, and were looking at the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan as a natural barrier to prevent invasion by rival imperialists. The Russians, for their part, were expanding south and east, swallowing up several formerly independent sultanates and emirates in Central Asia. The two great powers essentially engaged in a race for Afghanistan, and their fiendish seizures of land, overthrow of indigenous nations and reckless interference into the affairs of the remaining independent states in the region became known as “the Great Game.”
During this time, on two separate occasions, British armies from India outright invaded Afghanistan in attempts to install puppet governments amenable to British economic interests, and that would oppose the economic interests of Czarist Russia.
The first, which became known as the First Anglo-Afghan War, took place in 1838. Outraged by the presence of a single Russian diplomat in Kabul, the British demanded that Afghanistan shun any contact with Russia or Iran, and that it hand over vast tracts of Pashtun inhabited land to British India (regions that are today party of Pakistan). Dost Mohammad, the Afghan ruler, agreed to these humiliating demands, but the British still invaded the country. The British seized most of the major cities in Afghanistan with little resistance, but their heavy handed rule soon resulted in a popular uprising by the people which resulted in the massacre of the entire British army of 15,000, save one.
British outrage over the uninvited arrival of a Russian diplomatic envoy in Kabul in 1878 resulted in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Again the British were able to occupy all of the major cities, but unlike the last time, the British got wind of an impending rebellion against their occupation, and brutally crushed it in a pre-emptive move. They did subsequently withdraw, but not before they set up a puppet ruler and forced the country to hand over control of its foreign affairs to Britain.
Afghanistan would remain a British protectorate until 1919. Then, following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the wave of popular rebellions that rippled through Asia subsequently, the then king of Afghanistan, Amanullah, declared his country’s full independence by singing a treaty of aid and friendship with Lenin, and declaring war on Britain. After a brief period of border skirmishes, and the bombing of Kabul by the Royal Air Force, Britain conceded Afghanistan’s independence. Stung by this turn of events though, Britain conspired with conservative religious and land owning elements with the country who were unhappy with Amanullah’s attempts to secularize and reform the country. The outbreak of an uprising and civil war forced him to abdicate in 1929. Different warlords contended for power until a new king, Muhammad Nadir Shah took power. He was assassinated four years later by the son of a state execution victim, and was succeeded by Muhammad Zahir Shah, who was to be Afghanistan’s last king, and who would rule for the next 40 years.
Zahir Shah’s rule, like the kings before him, was one of almost total autocratic power. The word of the king was the word of law. And while advisory councils and assemblies were sometimes called to advise the king, these bodies had no power, and in no way represented the people of Afghanistan. These bodies were made up of the country’s tribal elders – a nice sounding term that in reality referred to the brutal land owners and patriarchs. And while some history books refer to this time of Afghanistan’s history as one where attempts were made to “modernize” the country – all this really meant was newer rifles for the army, the purchase a few airplanes for a token air force, the creation of a tiny airline to shuttle the ruling elite around, and some telegraph wires to allow the king to collect this taxes more promptly. Under his rule political parties were outlawed, and students were shot and killed when they protested.
In 1973, the king was overthrown and a republic was declared. But this in reality represented very little. For the king had simply been overthrown by a prominent member of his own family, Daoud, who decided to title himself president instead of king.
Under Daoud a certain liberalization took place, meaning that some of the most draconian realities of the monarchy were rolled back, but by and large whatever hopes and expectations arose among the people – little was done to satisfy them.
Daoud had seized power with the help of an underground party named the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan – a pro-Moscow communist party. The PDPA had aided and collaborated with Daoud in exchange for government posts. Once he had consolidated power though and felt he no longer needed these controversial allies, he ditched them, and ordered a crack down upon the party.
In 1978 the PDPA seized power from Daoud in a military coup. After seizing power they began a series of limited reforms, such as declaring, more or less, a secular state, and that women were deserving of equal treatment of men. They sought to curtail the practice of purchasing brides, and tried to implement a land reform program. They quickly met with fierce opposition from many sections of the deeply religious population though. The PDPA’s response to this was very heavy-handed, aggravating the situation. Soon several rural areas rose in open armed rebellion against the new government.
At the same time, the party’s long history of factionalism came to a bloody head as the more radical wing of the party sought to wipe out the more moderate leaning wing.
Immediately following the PDPA coup, the Soviet Union took an active interest in the so-called socialist revolution unfolding in its backyard. Dismayed by the clumsiness of the radical faction of the PDPA, the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 and handed power over a man named Karmal, who was the leader of the more moderate faction of the PDPA.
Though perhaps this was not the Soviets original intent, once inside Afghanistan, they found themselves forced to commit more and more troops and material to prop up the unpopular PDPA government. Several Islamic fundamentalist groups sprang up and began waging guerilla warfare, many of them operating from camps set up by the CIA and Pakistani Intelligence within Pakistan, from which they could strike into Afghanistan, and then beat a hasty retreat over a guarded border.
For its part, the United States government initially paid little attention to the PDPA coup in Afghanistan; its attention was instead focused to the west, where a popular revolution has overthrown their most valuable Middle East ally, the brutal and autocratic Shah of Iran. This changed of course once the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan.
At that point the United States took an active interest in the Islamic fundamentalists waging war on the PDPA and the Soviets. The CIA began providing military training to the Mujahadeen – the name the Islamic guerillas came to be called. They provided what in the end amounted to billions of dollars worth of weapons, including sophisticated anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles that allowed the guerillas to take out modern Soviet tanks and jet planes.
After offensive after offensive, year after year, gradually the Soviet military became discouraged. They were able to occupy and hold all of the major cities, just at the British imperialists had been able to the century before, but they were unable to subjugate the countryside. Soviet causalities began to mount dramatically, and with the CIA’s providing the Mujahadeen with Stinger missiles, even their control of the air was becoming a costly affair.
At the same time the CIA kept increasing and updating the Mujahadeen’s supply of weaponry, the Saudis and Persian Gulf Emirates contributed billions of dollars to their coffers, and thousands of Arabs responded to the Mujahadeen’s call for jihad, or holy war, against the secular Soviets – including the wealthy Saudi playboy, Osama bin Laden – who quickly became one of the CIA’s most important operatives in its proxy war against communism.
In 1989 the Soviets withdrew, leaving the PDPA government to fend for itself. The CIA soon lost interest in its mercenary forces now that they had accomplished their mission of bleeding the Soviets white. The misc. Mujahadeen factions began fighting as much with themselves as with the PDPA forces, resulting in increased suffering and bloodshed. It wasn’t until 1992 that Mujahadeen fighters were able to topple the remnants of the PDPA government – ending the Stalinists attempts to bring revolution to the people of Afghanistan at the point of a gun.
Different Mujahadeen warlords occupied different cities and regions of the country. Burhanuddin Rabbani, the same Northern Alliance warlord who recently took Kabul from the Taliban, was the warlord who ruled over the city from 1992 until his ouster in 1996. During his reign over 60,000 people were murdered and thousands of women were raped. Current Northern Alliance warlord Rashid Dostum who is in control of the city of Mazar –E – Sharif, also ruled over it from 1992 until his ouster in 1997. Similarly the warlord Ismail Khan again rules the city of Herat, which he also ruled from 1992 to 1995; and warlord Yunis Khalis is back in control of Jelalabad, which he ruled from 1992 to 1996.
The collapse of the PDPA government did not mark the end of Afghanistan’s civil war. The Mujahadeen warlords continued to bring death and destruction upon the country as they fought over the spoils, and sought to enlarge their new fiefdoms at the expense of their neighboring rivals.
While the CIA, after having done such a fine job of instigating unrest and warfare in the 1980s, could care less about the aftermath, Pakistani Intelligence forces maintained their interest. Seeking to end the civil war which threatened the stability of their own country – itself a prison house of many nationalities – Pakistani Intelligence aided in the creation of a new Islamic fundamentalist movement, the Taliban. The Taliban was born in the Islamic schools that had sprung up inside the Afghan refugee camps inside Pakistan. Its leadership and the bulk of its initial ranks, were made up of young religious students, primarily Pashtuns, motivated by the zeal of religion and the belief that they were ordained to bring stability and the ways of Allah back to their war torn land. They railed against the corruption, greed and factionalism of the contending Mujahadeen factions inside Afghanistan, and when they mounted a military push to conquer the country, they were initially well received by certain sections of the weary population. Their ranks were filled by rank and file Mujahadeen fighters and young idealists from inside the country, and city-by-city they were able to occupy most of the country. In 1996 they captured the capital city of Kabul, and had forced most of the remaining warlords into a small pocket in the far north of the country. These warlords subsequently formed a defensive alliance termed the Northern Alliance. By the time of the start of the current war, Taliban offensives had reduced their enclave to a mere 10% of the country.
Once in power the Taliban sought to create a theocratic state based on their interpretations of the Koran. Though already severely repressed by the various Mujahadeen warlords, the plight of Afghanistan’s women was made even worse under the new regime. The veil became the law of the land, and women were forbidden from attending school or holding employment outside of the home. Television was banned and an effort was made to purge the country of any signs or remnants of secular or Western influence. The country became politically and diplomatically isolated.
Then came the current war. Following the September 11 World Trade Center bombings the United States accused Osama Bin Laden of the crime. Bin Laden, who had left Afghanistan following the defeat of the Soviets, had returned after falling out of favor in Saudi Arabia, and being pressured to leave his first nation of refuge, the Sudan.
The U.S. government demanded that the Taliban hand over Bin Laden. The Taliban’s response was to demand proof of Bin Laden’s guilt, and after receiving none, they refused to hand him over.
Within a few weeks the United States began bombing the impoverished country, as well as providing active support to the Northern Alliance warlords. Following weeks of devastating bombing, and several failed offensives, the Northern Alliance succeeded in breaking out of its northern enclave, seizing the city of Mazar – E – Sharif, and then moving on to take Kabul. This set in motion a series of defeats for the Taliban, which began surrendering and abandoning almost every major city in the country, and retreating into the mountains. The U.S. meanwhile has continued its bombing campaign, and now has Marines on the ground hunting for Bin Laden. All the while the people of Afghanistan continue to suffer.
It’s hard to say how much longer the Taliban will continue to fight, or when the U.S. will end its war. Afghanistan’s future, like its past, looks very dark indeed. Currently Northern Alliance warlords, southern Pashtun warlords, opportunistic émigré politicians, and even supporters of the aging deposed autocrat King Zahir Shah, are arguing about who will be the exploiter-in-chief of the devastated land.
What is the solution for Afghanistan? What will end the suffering of its people? The most immediate thing would be for the United States government to end its bombing, withdraw its troops, and respect the Afghan peoples right to self-determination. And while this alone would not end all of the bloodshed and the fighting, it would create a situation where the workers and farmers of Afghanistan would be more able to cast off the warlords and petty feudal tyrants, take control of their destinies, and create a society that is based upon cooperation and solidarity.

PROVINCES OF AFGHANISTAN

BADAKSHAN PROVINCE

Badakhshan Province (Pashto: بدخشان ولایت‎ / Persian: استان بدخشان) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the farthest northeastern part of the country between Tajikistan and northern Pakistan. It is part of a broader historical Badakhshan region. The province contains 22 to 28 districts, over 1,200 villages, and approximately 904,700 people. Feyzabad serves as the provincial capital.
Badakhshan is primarily bordered by Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and Khatlon Provincein Tajikistan to the north and east. In the east of the province a long spur called the Wakhan Corridor extends above northern Pakistan's Chitral and Northern Areas to a border with China. The province has a total area of 44,059 square kilometres (17,011 sq mi), most of which is occupied by the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.
Badakhshan was a stopover on the ancient Silk Road trading path, and China has shown great interest in the province after the fall of the Taliban, helping to reconstruct roads and infrastructure.

The famous Silk Road of Badakshan












Common plants found in these areas include pistachio, almond, walnut, apple, juniper, and sagebrush.

Pistaschio and Almond Bloom of Badakshan

Montane Grasslands and Shrublands are also existent in the province, with the Hindu Kush alpine meadow located in the high mountains in the northern and southwestern regions.

The Mighty HINDUKUSH mountain range of Badakshan

A beautiful valley in Badakshan Province

The Wakhan Corridor separating HINDUKUSH from The Pamirs

The beautiful Wakhan Valley farms













South of Fayzabad the terrain becomes dominated by deserts and xeric shrublands. Common vegetation includes thorny bushes, zizyphus, acacia, and Amygdatus. Paropamisus xeric woodlands can be found in the province's northwestern and central areas. Common vegetation includes almond, pistachio, willows, and sea-buckthorn. Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, sits on the Kokcha River and has an approximate population of 50,000. The chief commercial and administrative center of northeast Afghanistan and the Pamir region, Fayzabad also has rice and flour mills.

Fazyabad, the capital city of Badakhshan province

Kokcha River Through Fazyabad

The Kokcha River of Badakshan Province














Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sar-e-Sang mines, located in the Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakhshan, for over 6,000 years. The mines were the largest and most well-known source in ancient times. Recent geological surveys have indicated the location of other gemstone deposits, in particular rubies and emeralds.It is estimated that the mines at Kuran wa Munjan District hold up to 1,290 tonnes of azure (lapis lazuli).Exploitation of this mineral wealth could be key to the region's prosperity.

The World Famous Lapis Lazuli mines of Badakhshan province

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket competitions by the Badakhshan Province cricket team BORNA Cricket Club which belong to BORNA Institute of Higher Education is coming up with its own team and will be groomed by the experts in the field of cricket. The population of the province is about 904,700, which is a multi-ethnic rural society.Persian-speaking Tajiks make up the majority followed Uzbeks Pashtuns, Hazaras, Baloch, Kyrgyz, Qizilbash, and others.
The inhabitants of the province are mostly Sunni Muslims, although there are also some Ismaili Shias.


NOTABLE PEOPLE FROM BADAKHSHAN PROVINCE

Nasir-i-Khusraw, the famous poet and philosopher from Badakshan
Burhanuddin Rabbani, leader of the Jamiat-e Islami political party and former president of Afghanistan
Tahir Badakhshi, political activist
Latif Pedram, political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
Nasratullah Nasrat, Afghan cricketer
Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, Chief architect of the Taj Mahal

Nasir-i-Khusraw, Burhanuddin Rabbani,Latif Pedram and Tahir Badakshi



Click Here for a Beautiful Music Video On Badakhshan

TAKHAR PROVINCE

Takhar (Persian: تخار‎; Pashto: تخار ولايت‎) is one of the thirty-four provinces ofAfghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlanand Kunduz in the west. The city of Taloqan serves as its capital.
The province contains about 17 districts, over 1,000 villages, and approximately 933,700 people, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. The major ethnic groups in the province are Tajiks and Uzbeks followed by Pashtuns, Hazara, and others.
Between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty of friendship was reached in or about 1750, and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty, and was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about one hundred years until the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan.
It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar.

Demographics
The population of the province is about 933,700, which is mostly tribal and a rural society. The main inhabitants of Takhar province are ethnic Tajiks which make almost 66% of population, followed by the second largest groups, the Uzbeks. The remainders are Pashtuns, Hazaras, Pashai, Gujjar and others. There are also a population of Kuchis (nomads) whose numbers vary in different seasons.
Agriculture and mining are the main industries of the province. Takhar has coal reserves of fairly good quality which are being exploited by hand in some villages and sold in the region. The local population considers gold the most relevant resource for the Province. Gold is being washed in Takhar River, and about 2kg are being transported to the specific weekly markets in the city of Taloqan. Also the city is a main source of construction materials like: loam, sand, and different types of stones. Takhar province is known for its salt mountains and you can find large deposits of fine salt in the region. The Takcha Khanna salt mine is one of the growing number of salt supplier, for the population of Takhar and northern Afghanistan. Known as the second grade province of Afghanistan, Takhar province is regarded as the most suitable place for agriculture. The province lies at a distance of 400- kilometers from the country’s capital, Kabul.

The Salt mines of Takhar province

People Washing Sand in River Takhar in search of Gold












The province is hot in summer where the temperature soars to 35- 40 degree Celsius and it is extremely cold in winter with the temperature reaches from -21 to -29 degree Celsius.
From October till April, the weather remains cold, rainy amid snowfall while it is hot in the remaining months. Average rainfall in the province is estimated at 2, 290 millimeters annually.

Districts:
On administrative divisions, Takhar province has 16 districts.
Taluqan is the capital city of Takhar province Warsaj, Farkhar, Khawaja Ghar, Khawajah Bahawodin, Baharak, Hazar Sumuch, Dashti Qala, Yangi Qala, Chahab, Rustaq, Bangi, Ishkamish, Kalafgan, Chal, Namakab and Darqad are its districts.

A busy market street in Taloqan city.














Culture:
The people of Takhar have great love for cultural activities as a result large numbers of civil societies such as kokcha association, Bistar Daryacha, Youth Association and Association of Takharistan Youth were established during the last 12 years.In addition, the province witnessed greater educational and technical development in terms of English language, computer programming and calligraphic centers established in the province.
Local music was yet another important cultural factor in the province.
The residents were fond of local music and they used to play guitar, drum and other instruments.

Historical Monuments:
Because of its historical importance, the antiquity of Takhar belonged to the time of Alexander, the great.The Greece Geographic wrote the history of Takhar province some 2, 300 year ago.
In the past, the European archaeologists and historians traced the footsteps of Alexander’s troops and found out that the Alexandria Amo city was situated and later destroyed in Takhar province.
Other historical remnants--- belonging to Alexander, the great--- located in Takhar province were destroyed in 1991 after continued civil war in the country.Ambiguities have been still circulating about the disappearance of historical monuments belonging to Alexander the great.According to sources, the monuments are either smuggled out of the country or destroyed as a result of 30- years’ war and destruction in the country.Few years back, the smuggling of a plate and 195 coins discovered from the hill of Khanam were recovered by police, which were later handed over to the ministry of information and cultural affairs. It was revealed that the ruins were traced back to the dynasty of Bakhtar Greeks.
The province has multiple historical places such as the shrine of Khwaja Bahawuddin, Khwajah Khidar, Hazrat Waqif, Khwajah Changal and others.

Celebrities:
Takhar is the home to prominent religious leaders, writers and poets such as headmaster Tariq, Dr. Sayyed Hassan Shahid, Mula Abdul Wadood Shahid and Hussain Gulfgani.

Media:
Media sector in Takhar improved in the recent years as multiple electronic and print media outlets have flourished.The Takhar National Television is inaugurated in 1996 while the pioneer Weekly Takhristan magazine established during the regime of Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan back in 1971.

Education:
The vital education is flourishing in Takhar province. There are total 600 schools where 340,000 students, out of which 140,000 girls’ students are being imparted education.

Industry:
Industrial factories and companies did not exist in Takhar; however, people of the province are skilled in making leather, animal herd and fabrics to make handicrafts products.
Residents of Dasht-i-Qala district produce brands of coverlet and cap from cloth. It has greater demand in the foreign as well as locally. Skilled manpower of the province weaves leather socks and overcoats in Thakar, which are popular through the country.An exhibition of the handcraft products is being held annually in the province in order to promote the products and explore better market. A large number of people are invited to the exhibition including the national businessmen.

Agriculture:
Takhar is among the agricultural provinces of the country where economy of the residents depends on agriculture and livestock farms.The province has a total of 130,000 irrigated and 300,000 rain-fed lands with farmers cultivate crops twice in a year.Rice, barley and corn are widely cultivated crops of the province.The fruit orchards in Thakar produce ample apple, plum, cherry, pears, peach, apricot, grapes, melon and watermelon.

Sport:
Sport has flourished in Takhar. Mostly, traditional games are played in the province such as wrestling and throwing stones to demonstrate strength and power. Football, volleyball, cricket, swimming, ping pong, taekwondo and karate are common known games in parts of the province.

Click Here for a Video on a Trip to Takhar Province

KUNDUZ PROVINCE

Kunduz is one of the ancient and historical provinces located to the northeastern of Afghanistan. During different times, the province has had different names such as Apaska, Kuhandiz and Kunduz.
Kunduz has occupied an important geo-strategic location. It was the military base of Alexander The Great during 330-BC when he attacked Bessus and declared himself the king of Apaska (Kunduz).
Kunhandiz, now known as Kunduz was the capital of Takharistan. During the reign of The Hephthalites, 2000 –BC, it was one of the most important trade routes, linking south of The Hindu Kush to the north via Kohdaman and Kohistan.
Kunduz, in the north of Hindu Kush between Takharistan and Bakhtarian, was an important hub where trade route forked one to Balkh and the second to Takharistan while the third towards Amu River.
The province has vast and rich agricultural lands with two big rivers and one airport and the renowned Sher Khan Port. The province shares 270 kilometers border with Tajikistan while The Amu River lie between Tajikistan and Kunduz.
With a total 7668.7 square Kilometers area, the province is situated at an elevation of 405 meters above the sea level and having around one million populations.
The word Kunduz in Uzbek Language means” day” and in Dari it means “Old castle”
Kunduz located 337 kilometers to north of Kabul City with the Amu River flows to its south. It shares borders with Takhar Province to the East, Baghlan to the south while Samangan to the west.
The weather of the province is warm in the spring and its remains pleasant but hot in the summer and chilly in the winter.


A Busy Market Street in Kunduz city

Districts:
The province has six districts including Imam Sahib, Dasht-e-Archi, Qala-e-Zal, Chahar Dara, Ali Abad and Khan Abad. Its capital is known Kunduz city.
Various ethnicities live side by side in the province include Tajik, Pashtun, Uzbek, Hazara, Aymaq, Baluch, Turkman, kuchi and Hindus.

Dams:
The province has five big dams, which most of the time trigger damages because of floods almost year. The five known rivers include Khan Abad Dam, Nahr-e-Naqi Dam, Irgank Dam, Shahrawan Achi and Mullah Karim Dams. The reconstruction of the dams has also been started.

Culture:
Kunduzhas around ten leading poets and writers including Abdul Khaliq Shadan, Mohammad Sabir Yousufi, Ahamdullah Daagh, and Gul Rahim NayazMand. Mohammad Sayel, Nor Rahim Atif, Majid Perdis, Ghulam Haider Haider, Mohammad Nasir Shirzai, Mohammad Naeem Asker, Qaziyahya, Noor-ul-Ain Nawin, SalimBakhtyar and Dr. Najib. They all had rich contribution to the 74 pages of encyclopedia in Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan. In addition, as many as 60 civil societies and associations are functioning including Perdis, Jahan Noma, Mediathek, Rawzana-e-Solh and Masharekat Jawanan Khanabad. Similarly, a poetry session Redi Gul has been established and poets come together to exchange their views and strengthen coordination among them from different parts of the country.
Local music has kept its own place in the province. Folklore songs of Feroz Kunduzi who is a local singer and also rap songs of Bezhan Kunduzi is very famous.

Popular Rap Singer Bezhan Kunduzi

Historical Monuments:

Ferdosi Tosi has mentioned Kunduz in its poem book Shahnamah five times, indicating the historical importance of the city. The historical beauty of Kunduz had been destroyed in different periods of history. The city was rebuilt and became the center of Takharitan and again was destroyed. History depicted many families such as Sawaran Bokhdi, Kunduz Family, Rithai Gulgoon and Pahlwanan Royentanan have ruled the city. In the reign of Alexander, the Macedonian and till the last heir of them Kunduz had been a part of Bakhtar area and as important center and crossroad of Silk Road. As many as 19 small and big historical sites have been registered in Kunduz including Bala Hisar, Kalla Minaret, Chihel Dokhtaran, Haji Shaheed Mosque, Saqibai Mosque, Ziarat Khaja Mashhad, Rouza-e-Imam Sahib, MehrNegar Castle in Imam Sahib District, Tapa-e- Mutasil Doura-e-Kundu, Tepa Jarzar, pilgrimage of Hazrat Sultan Baba, Tepa-e-Zhobin in Ali Ali Abad District, Magas Tepa, Kohna Qala-e-Khan Abad and Qala-e-Zal.
Kohna –e-Qala (old castle)/ Bala Hisaar Kunduz:
According to Tabari history book, Bala Hisaar was built 3,500 years ago by one of the Persian Kings who was the descendents of Faraidoon. The castle has four gates, two small and big fences and located in a big ditch of water, which has been surrounded by walls.
The Kunduz Bala Hisaar covers 87 acres area, located 3 kilometers to the north of the city. There are different stories concerning it.


Bala Hisaar Castle of Kunduz

Tapa (hill) and Ziarat Childokhtaran: The shrine is located one kilometer to the southeast of Kalla Mimar. Agricultural lands and houses are situated to the north and residential houses to the south while QalarTepais located to the West. The monument has cultural value.
 Chihel Dokhtaran of Kunduz

Kohana-e-Qala Khan Abad: The historical castle is located nearly five kilometers to the northeast of the district and covered 1.50 acres land. The KohnaQala or the old castle dating back to Bakhtariera.

Rouza and Imam Sahib Mosque: According to a survey conducted by a technical team of historical monument directorate, Rouza-e-Imam Sahib covers more than 15 acres of land.It is said when Islam came to Afghanistan, Muslims started fighting with then government and Hazrat Yahya, the head of military of the Muslims was killed. Then the Muslims decided to take the head of Hazrat Yahya to Baghdad but the person, who was taking the head, was killed by enemies in the District of Imam Sahib. When the Muslim came to the area, they buried the head and body in the area. Since then, a ceremony (Janda Bala) takes places in the area every year.Also narrated the head of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH) has been brought from Karbls, Iraq and buried here.

Famous Personalities: The ancient Kunduz Province is the place of well-known, social personalities and the origin of knowledge, arts and literature such as Sarwar Nashir Khan, Wakil Abudu Rasul, Shir Khan and many other famous people.

Media:
The Spinzar Weekly is one of the maiden media outlets in the province, which was first published in 1973.In addition, various print media outlets such as Arman, Watandar, Aryana, BBC and other were broadcasting programs in Kunduz. Some television channels such as Tolo, Shamshad, Aryana, Noreen, and others started activities the province.

Education:
A total 310,000 of students out of which 118,000 are girls that get education by 6,400 teachers in around 470 schools.In addition, a university and six pedagogical institutes were functioning in the province where 3,700 students including girls are getting higher education in eight different faculties.The Takahristan institute of high religious studies, rising center of teachers and Sher Khan high schools provide religious studies, which helped graduate hundreds of student.

Industry:
The residents of Kunduz are highly skilled in weaving, designing of clothes, blankets and other textile related products. In addition, some are goldsmiths and coppersmiths by profession.
Industrially rich, the province has several established factories such as a tissue paper, rice, iron, cement and ice production factories, which provides employment opportunities to the people.
Carpet, jackets, shalwar Qamiz, turbans and similar other stuffs are popular among the people.


The Spinzar Cotton Mill of Kunduz

Most of the families earned their livelihood from the handicraft related profession.The people of the province are skilled in making different types of clothes from the animal hides with the products have good market in areas where the weather remains cold.
The Spinzar Production and Gulbahar Textile Factories ware established back in 1971 and continued the production of cooking oil, soap, home appliances, and clothes until 1978 with manpower of 2,700 employees. However, the factory faced hurdles after the continuing war and instability in the country.
Currently, the Sher Khan Port highway is one of the safest roots in the country where tons of goods are being imported or exported.
The Sher Khan Port is connected via 672-meters long and 11-meters wide bridge with Tajikistan. It is a door way towards Central Asian states for export and import of goods.
The bridge is formally inaugurated in 2007 by the presidents of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which was named the Bridge Of Friendship between the two countries.
The Friendship Bridge on Amu River

Agriculture:
Kunduz is a known agriculture province with most of the people associate with the profession of livestock. The province has dense forests as well.
Dry fruit such as almond, pistachio, and melon of Imam Sahib and Asqalani are widely popular being exported to rest part of the country.

World Famous Askalaani melons of Kunduz province

Major agriculture crops of the province include wheat, rice, and other kinds of fruits and vegetables.Kunduz enjoys reputation for producing quality crops of wheat and rice, which are being consumed throughout the country.

Lush Wheat Fields of Kunduz province

Sport:
Traditional sports such as Buzkashi are being held annually, which is a known and popular sport event in the province.


The Famous Buzkashi game of Afghanistan


Click Here to Watch Buzkashi Game

BAGHLAN PROVINCE

The name Baghlan is derived from Bagolango or "image-temple", inscribed on the temple of Surkh Kotal during the reign of the Kushan emperor, Kanishka in the early 2nd century CE. The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang traveled through Baghlan in the mid-7th Century CE, and referred to it as the "kingdom of Fo-kia-lang".Widely known as the second grade province, Baghlan is located to the northeast of the country and considered one of the industrial provinces of Afghanistan.
The province is located 230-kilometers from Kabul at Kabul Mazar-e-Sharif highway. The strategic importance of Baghlan enhances as it connects with seven Northern provinces and the capital of the country.
The Salang separates both Parwan and Baghlan provinces and then northern Salang located in Baghlan province while the Southern Salang is situated in Parwan province.

 The Salang Tunnel of Bhaglan province

According to a survey conducted in 2008, the population of Baghlan touches the figure of 750,000 individuals. However, the recent survey conducted in 2013 estimated the population of Baghlan at around 890,000 individuals. The province has a total area of 18,252 square kilometers. The province has decent weather as in summer the weather is hot while in winter and fall it remains cold.

Districts:
According to administrative division, Baghlan province has 14 districts with Puli Khumri is its capital city.Kinjan, Dushi, Banu, Dih Salah, Puli Hisar, Jilgah, Khost, Talawa Barfak, Farang, Guzargah-a-Noor, Nahrin, Burkah and Dahana-i-Ghori are its districts.

Culture: 
The cultural activities started back in 1921 in Baghlan from the Khan Abad of Kunduz province. Khan Abad was a district of Baghlan at that time. For the first time, the Etihad biweekly was used to print there headed by Mullah Naqibullah. 
Besides Etihad weekly, Oqab monthly, Nidai Islam weekly, Silsila weekly and Ghuchi weekly were among the publication in Baghlan.   
For years, the province has active cultural associations such as Baghlan Writers Association, Adeeb Cultural Centre and Hakim Nasir Khesraw Balkhi Cultural Centre. The province produced writers of great repute as well.

Puli Khumri City of Baghlan

Historical monuments:
 Historical monuments are located in 26 locations elsewhere in the province. The historical sites include Tapazar, Tapa Safari, Shurtapa Shamruq, Tapa Rustam, Shur Baba, Tila Tapa, Zardkamar, Masjid Safid, LalaQadaq, Qandrayona and Surkh Kotal. The historical monuments are located in Pul-i-Khumri, Khost, Doshi, Baghlan Markazi, and Ghori districts. The monuments discovered in Surkh Kotal and Rabatak shows the periods of King Kanishka Kabir and small Koshani. The Buddhists (Koshanis) were living there from second to 5th centuries. The monuments show Baghlan province has a 2,000 years history before Islam when Kotal Rabatak and Surkh Kotal were fire worship places.



Terraces of Surkh Kotal temple and Fire Place of Surkh Kotal temple

Tapa E Rustam Archeological Site



Celebrities:
Prominent scholars and writers who contributed to the beauty and reputation of the province include Abdul Rahim Khinjani, Ikramudin Andishmand, Muzamil, Mir Ahmad Jwandai, Ghulam Jailani, Parwana Banwal, Rawnaq Nadiri, Nasim Sabah, Ghulam Hussain Afgar, Abdul Qayum Hazin, Shafaq, Mushfiq and Shiraqa Shayan Fariwar and others.

Media:
 The branch of the Afghanistan National Radio and TV was established in 1988 in Baghlan and had only two hours local transmission including local reports and meetings.

Besides the provincial University, there are 498 schools including 122 for boys and 35 for girls. As many as 320,000 students get education with 120,000 of them are girls’ students. There are three pedagogic institutes with one of them public and two private institutes. At least 3,500 students were being imparted education in Baghlan University.

Industry:
As mentioned earlier that Baghlan is among the industrial zones, the province has factories of Sement-i-Ghori, Afghan Textile, sugar and mines of coal.
In addition, pylon making, Silo, Spin Zar Company, Kamaz Enterprise and Agriculture Mechanization are among the government-run industries. The Afghan Pul-i-Khumri Textile factory is located in the capital city, which was established in 1936 and started production in 1942. The factory has 3,500 to 3,700 employees.
The Ghori Cement Factory in Baghlan province, which contract was inked between Afghanistan and Czech Republic in 1961, produced 200 tons cement within 24 hours. There are seven coal mines in the province including Karkar, Dodkash, Ahan Dara, Tala Barfak, Deh Sala and Chinarak mines in Nahrin district.
Baghlan sugar factory was set up in Baghlan industrial park in 1940.


Kharkar Valley Coal Mines in Baghlan Province

Agriculture:

Baghlan is an agricultural province. The total land for irrigation of the province is 98,101 hectares while the rest 160,553 hectares is rain-feed land. Rice is the most popular agricultural crop of the province and is known for its best quality locally and abroad. In addition, potatoes, corn and pulses are among other bumper crops of the province. Similarly melon, apple, pear, peach, cherry and apricot are popular fruits of Baghlan. The agriculture products of Baghlan accommodate the needs of other provinces despite its heavy consumption in Baghlan province.

The famous Rice Crops of Baghlan Province

Baghlan Dairy Products



Sports:
Baghlanis are fond of sports and games of different tradition are being enjoyed by youths. However, contemporary games such as football, volleyball, Taekwondo and other sports are more popular among the youth of the province.


Click Here for a Beautiful Afghan Baghlani Qataghani

SAMANGAN PROVINCE

Samangan (Pashto: lang-fa‎) is one of the thirty-four provinces ofAfghanistan, located north of the Hindu Kush mountains in the central part of the country. The province covers 11,218 square kilometres (4,331 sq mi) and is surrounded by Sar-e Pol Province in the west, Balkh in the north,Baghlan in the east, and Bamyan in the south. Samangan province is divided into 6 districts and contains 674 villages.It has a population of about 368,800, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. Its capital is named Aybak City. Jangor Gash is located to the south of Samangan and the vast agriculture areas of Aybak are also part of the province. Its north is surrounded by renowned Meer Alam desert and Amo River flows at its own sweet will quite freely. The province is divided into six administrative units (districts) comprises Ruyi Du Ab, Hazrat Sultan, Feroz Nakhchir, Dara Soaf Ballah, Darah Sofpayan and Hazrat Sultan including the provincial capital, Aybak.
The earliest known history of the province is linked to the identification of the Samangan by Aoros Ptolemy as the place of the Varni or Uarni and the fortified city of Samangan on the banks of the Khulm River identical to the Bhaktria region the Dargydus river south east of Zariaspa. The ruins found here establishe the city’s founding by Eukratides, the King of Bactria. It was then known as Edrisi, the size of the Khulm city.
Historic City of the Samangan town dates to the time of the Kushan Empire during the 4th and 5th centuries when it was a famous Buddhist centre. Witness to this period is seen now in the form of ruins at a place called the Takht-e-Rostam, which is located 3 km from the town on a hilltop. Arabs and Mongols came to this place when it was already famous as a Buddhist religious centre. Aibak was the name given to this place when, during the medieval period, caravans used to stop here.

Samangan Province View




The area was conquered by the Hephthalites followed by the Saffarids who brought Islam. The Samanids took it and controlled it until the Ghaznavids rose to power in the 10th century, they were replaced by the Ghorids. After the Mongol invasion the Timurids took possession.

 Caves Near Aybek City of Samangan Province

Demographics
The total population of Samangan province is about 468,800, which is predominately rural with only 7% living in urban centres. "Samangan like most of Afghanistan is ethnically diverse with Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pashtuns, Hazara,Tartars, Turkomen and even a minority population of Arabs living throughout the province.Roughly 72.5% people of the province speak Dari with ethnic Tajiks comprising 70% of the province´s population and 22.1% people speak Uzbeki as their native language. Many people throughout the country are bilingual or multi-lingual. All inhabitants follow Islam, with majority being Sunni while the Shi'as make up the minority.

Education
The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 19% in 2005 to 27% in 2011. A total of 299 including private schools and Madrassas are established in the province with the total strength of students in the educational institutes stood at 110,000 out of which 35% are girls.

Economy
Agriculture and some small scale mining are the main industries of the province. Marble export sustains Afghan economy. The marble is extracted and processed in 21 factories in the country, including the famous brown marble from Samangan province. This adds to the economy of the province.


The famous brown marble of Samangan

Agriculture
The economy revolves around agriculture, with farmers in Samangan province cultivating grains, fruits, and nuts on the region’s fertile river plains. The Tasqar-Samangan River is the main source of agriculture land irrigation in the province.The province of Samangan is second only to the northwestern Afghan province of Badghis in terms of pistachio production. The staple food crops grown in the province are wheat, barley and potato and flax. The horticultural or garden crops grown are grapes, pomegranates and other fruit and nut trees. Cash crops grown in a few villages were sesame, cotton and tobacco;
Horse breeding also sustains the economy of the province as it caters particularly for the popular sport of buzkashi in Afghanistan.

  Samangan River


  Samangan Pistachio Trees

 Samangan Peach Orchards

  Samangan Grapes

Cultural heritage
The historical cultural heritage in the province which is mainly at Samangan City, the provincial headquarters of Samangan are the Takt-e Rostam and the adjacent Buddhist caves and stupas on a top of hill.

Takht-i Rustam

Takht-i Rustam (Haibak), literal meaning the throne of Rustam, named after Rustam, a king in Persian mythology, is a hilltop settlement. It is dated to the 4th and 5th centuries of the Kushano-Sassanian period, which is corroborated by archaeological, architectural and numismatic evidence. It is located 3 km to the southwest of Samangan town. It is the location of a stupa-monastery complex which is fully carved into the mountain rock. The monastery of major Buddhist tradition of Therravada Buddhism, has five chambers, two are sanctuaries and one is a domed ceiling with an intricate lotus leaf beautification. In the adjacent hill is the stupa, which has a harmika, with several caves at its base. Above one of the caves, there is square building in which there are two conference halls; one is 22 metres square and the other is circular. In one of these caves, Archaeological excavations have revealed a cache of Ghaznavid coins.The Buddhist temples near the Takht are 10 numbers known locally as Kie Tehe.


The famous Takht e Rustum

     

INSIDE TAKHT E RUSTUM                        CAVE DWELLINGS OF TAKHT E RUSTUM

 Delicious Kababs of Samangan


Media
In the sphere of media, a large number of media outlets can be seen on the ground with National Radio Television and some private media outlets. Rustam Television, Sada-a-Haqiqat and Sahar private radios are among the electronic media that serve vast segment of society.
However, the province has no or little print media publications with the exception of Aybak and Takhti Rustam magazines.

Celebrities
Samangan gave birth to leading personalities of the era including Abdul Wahid Sarir, Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidalcha, Khadim Khurumi, Abu Yaqoob Samangani, Abu Jafar Samangani, Abdul Khaliq Wafai Khurumi, Mirza Niazi, Mirza Hussain Khan Khurumi, Abdul Ghafoor Ramzi, Hafeezullah Qatrah, Dashti Samangani, Abdul Hadi Hadi and Mirza Asmatullah Sharqi.

Sport
The international known Buzkashi is still the favorite sport in Samangan. New games have started appearance in the province cricket, football, volleyball, weight lifting, taekwondo, karate and others.

BALKH PROVINCE

Balkh (Persian / Pashto: بلخ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into about twelve districts and has a population of about 1,245,100,[ which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The city of Mazar-i-Sharif serves as the capital of the province. The Mazar-e Sharif International Airport and Camp Marmal sit on the eastern edge of Mazar-i-Sharif.
The name of the province is derived from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town. Home to the famous blue mosque, it was once destroyed by Genghis Khan but later rebuilt by Timur. The city of Mazar-e-Sharif has been an important stop on the trade routes from the Far East to the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe. It serves today as Afghanistan's second but main gateway to Central Asia, the other being Shir Khan Bandarin neighboring Kunduz Province. The Province has immense geo- strategic importance and a known hub of commercial and political activities.

Geography:
Balkh Province is situated in the northern part of Afghanistan, bordering Uzbekistan in the north, Tajikistan in the north-east,Kunduz Province in the east, Samangan Province in the south-east, Sar-e Pol Province in the south-west and Jowzjan Province in the west. The province covers an area of 16,840 km2. Nearly half of the province is mountainous or semi-mountainous terrain (48.7%) while half of the area (50.2%) is made up of flat land. In summer, its temperature reaches to 43 C while in winter its temperature stands at - 2 C. In spring, the province experiences rainy weather.

Districts:
The province of Balkh as per administrative divisions has 14 districts, in addition to Mazar-i-Sharif city and Hairatan port. Nahra-i-Shahi, Dihdadi, Balkh, Daulatabad, Chamtal, Sholgar, Chaharbolak, Kashanda, Zari, Charkont, Shortipa, Kaldar, Marmal, and Khalm are the rest 14 districts.

  
The famous Mazar - e- Sharif city of day and night life

History
Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC)
The Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC, also known as the "Oxus civilization") is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age culture of Central Asia, dated to ca. 2200–1700 BCE, located in present day Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus), in area covering ancient Bactria. Bactria was the Greek name for the area of Bactra (modern Balkh), in what is now northern Afghanistan.
According to some writers, Bactria was the homeland of Indo-European tribes who moved south-west into Iran and into North-Western India around 2500–2000 BCE. Later, it became the north province of the Persian Empire in Central Asia.It was in these regions, where the fertile soil of the mountainous country is surrounded by the Turanian desert, that the Prophet Zoroaster (Zarathushtra) was said to have been born and gained his first adherents. Avestan, the language of the oldest portions of the Zoroastrian Avesta, was one of the old Iranian languages.


The ancient city of Balkh taken from Google Earth

Achaemenid Empire
Bactria has belonged to Iranian empires since a very early stage, It was annexed to the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great in 6th century BCE and together with Margiana it formed the twelfth satrapy of Persians.After Darius III of Persia had been defeated by Alexander the Great and killed in the ensuing chaos, his murderer Bessus, the satrap of Bactria, tried to organize a national resistance based on his satrapie but was captured by other warlords and delivered to Alexander. He was then tortured and killed.

Seleucid Empire
Alexander conquered Sogdiana and Iran. However, in the south, beyond the Oxus, he met strong resistance. After two years of war Bactria was occupied by the Macedonian empire, but Alexander never successfully subdued the people. After Alexander's death, the Macedonian empire was eventually divided up between generals in Alexander's army. Bactria became a part of the Seleucid Empire, named after its founder, Seleucus I. The paradox that Greek presence was more prominent in Bactria than in areas far closer to Greece can possibly be explained by the supposed policy of Persian kings to deport unreliable Greeks to this the most remote province of their huge empire. The Greco-Bactrians were so powerful that they were able to expand their territory as far as India:
The Greco-Bactrians used Greek language for administrative purposes, and the local Bactrian language was also Hellenized, as suggested by its adoption of the Greek alphabet and Greek loanwords. In turn, some of these words were also borrowed by modern Pashto, the language of Afghanistan.

BMAC ARCHEALOGICAL SITE


Artefacts, Gold and Metal Vessels Escavated at BMAC site of Balkh

Sakas, Yuezhis and Sassanids
The weakness of the Greco-Bactrian empire was shown by its sudden and complete overthrow, first by the Sakas, and then by the Yuezhi (who later became known as Kushans), who had conquered Bactria by the time of the visit of the Chinese envoy Zhang Qian (circa 127 BCE), who had been sent by the Han emperor to investigate lands to the west of China.

Contacts with China
The name Daxia appears in Chinese from the 3rd century BCE to designate a mythical kingdom to the West, possibly a consequence of the first contacts with the expansion of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, and then is used by the explorer Zhang Qian in 126 BCE to designate Bactria.
The reports of Zhang Qian were put in writing in the Shiji ("Records of the Grand Historian") by Sima Qian in the 1st century BCE. They describe an important urban civilization of about one million people, living in walled cities under small city kings or magistrates. Daxia was an affluent country with rich markets, trading in an incredible variety of objects, coming as far as Southern China. By the time Zhang Qian visited Daxia, there was no longer a major king, and the Bactrian were suzerains to the nomadic Yuezhi, who were settled to the north of their territory beyond the Oxus (Amu Darya). Overall Zhang Qian depicted a rather sophisticated but demoralized people who were afraid of war.
Following these reports, the Chinese emperor Wu Di was informed of the level of sophistication of the urban civilizations of Ferghana, Bactria and Parthia, and became interested in developing commercial relationship with them:
These contacts immediately led to the dispatch of multiple embassies from the Chinese, which helped to develop the Silk Road.


Valuable Bowls,Statue and Elephant Stamp at BMAC site

    
Kushan period Gold Coins and Artefact from BMAC site of Balkh


Oxus Treasure at British Museum

Historic Sites:
Having a 6,000-year long history, Balkh has a large number of historic sites and artifacts with most of them are at the verge of collapse due to natural disaster with authorities have not paying any attention to renovate them.
The ancient and important way of the world known as Silk Route crosses in this province. Silk Route in east connects Afghanistan with India, at west with Iran and in east with China and thousands of caravans use this route and its signs still can be seen in the province. Balkh province has given the title of the second city of the world, where a number of historic artifacts are still intact while a some of them are rebuilt in recent years, however, a large number of artifacts are about to collapse.
Balkh has a number of historic sites includes the shrine of Hazrat-i-Ali, Balahisar of Balkh, Walls of Balkh cities, Khwaja Akasha shrine, jewelers hells, Takhta Pul port, Baba Ali Sher hell, Khwaja Abo Naser Parsa mosque, Babur Qala, Zadian Campanile, Nah Gunbid mosque, Ayaran tower, Nowbahar altar, Shahr-i-Bano, JahanNoma palace and garden, Khushti mosque, Charso mosque, Spin bridge, Askar hell, KhwajaRoshnayee shrine, Fourteen girls Qala, Salaran hell, Shadian valley, Bazrak, Bahrab, Aab Lai hell, CharkontKafirQala, Imam Bakri bridge, Baba Hatim Ism shrine, Zainul Abideen Aqeel shrine, Jamshid city and others.


Ancient Balkh city walls

                          
The World Famous Wonderful Blue Mosque of Mazar - e- Sharif (outside and inside)

Education
These institutions contained 10,199 teachers, including 5, 974 male and 4, 225 females. On other hand, 540,178 students, including 311, 366 boys and 228, 812 girls are being imparting education in those institutions. Nearly, 20, 000 students, including 4,442 boys and 1,401 girls are getting education in literature, journalism, political science, medical, agriculture, economic, engineering, sharia law and computer science faculties of Balkh university.
Demographics
The total population of the province is about 1,245,100, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society.Balkh is ethnically diverse, including substantial Tajik, Hazara, Pashtuns,Arab, Uzbek, Turkomen, and Sunni Hazara (Kawshi) communities.

Industries:
Balkh province has special fame in terms of carpet weaving, as this industry get considerable improvement in Kaldar and Shortipa Districts of the province. As many as 106 companies are functional in areas of carpet weaving and business, where about 20, 000 persons are working in this sector.Some other industries such as coppersmith, embroidery and tailoring pushed by women are also operational in the province. Earlier, the use of caraculs, which is being produced from the skin of sheep was very common in the province. But now the business of caraculs skin is a little down and the custom of using caraculs hate is looking as deteriorated. Shadian is a special business market in Balkh province, where many women presented their handicrafts for selling.

The famous Balkh hand-woven carpets

Mines:
Despite deserving other values, Balkh is a rich province of the country because of natural resources. According to a survey recently carried out by Afghan government and ministry of mines, six mines of petroleum are detected in this province. In addition, other reserves of gas, salt, and others are also available in Balkh province.

Celebrities:
Balkh Province has greater historical, academic, and cultural values. The province gave birth to great personalities including Zardasht, Yama, Jalaludin Mohammad Balkhi, Rabia Balkhi, Nasir Khisraw Balkhi, Ibn-i-Sina, Daqiqee Balkhi who contributed to the culture and tradition of the province.

Zardasht

Media:
For the first time a daily Bidar was published when former king Amanullah Khan was ruling the country since 1921. This daily is still functioning in the province.
Meanwhile, Bidar, Yildoz, Asr-i-Naw, Balkh, Parcham-i-Azadi, Marif, Balkh-i-Imroz, Porkha, Pasarlai, Roshnayee, Yadgar, Ayaran-i-Balkh, Basharat, Irtaqai-i-Naween, OmidHamzesti, SadaiBano, SadaiAzadi, Iqab, Ba Yad-i-Haq, Shahardari and Itlat-i-Bazar are among the printing media outlets that are operating in the province.
In addition, a number of domestic and international media organizations, broadcast from Kabul include Shamshad, Tolo, Aryana, Zhwandon, Rah-i-Farda and Tamadon as domestic television channels and BBC, Azadi Radio as well as VOA Radio and television as an international media.

Agriculture:
At least 70 percent of the populations of Balkh province are working in agriculture sector in order to meet their economic needs. The two rivers known as Sholgar and Balkh Aab have no adequate water to irrigate all agriculture lands in the province. Many times, growers provide major cavities and use its water for irrigating their farms after the cavities were filled with rainy water. Wheat, cotton, barleys, corn and rice are among the agriculture products, while grapes, water melon and raisin are among the famous fresh and dry fruits of the province. In addition, the gardens of apricots, plums, apples, almonds, peaches and mulberries are in abundant in the province. A number of other agriculture crops such as wheat, barleys, ban, corner, frank, gram, cauliflower, pepper, potato, onion, carrots, leek, squash, cucumber, paternal, turnip and tomato have also been cultivated in the province.


Fruit Market of Balkh

SPORT:
The locals of Balkh take great pride in their sporting history and culture. Every Nowruz (Persian New Year), Balkh is the site of many sporting events. Buzkashi is a traditional horse riding sport of the region and is very popular in this province.Pehlwani is also a popular sport in the province. However, the most popular presently and for the last 50 years has been Soccer


Pehlwani Sport of Balkh

CLICK HERE FOR A TOUR OF BEAUTIFUL MAZAR E SHARIF CITY



JOWZJAN PROVINCE

Jowzjan, sometimes spelled as Jozjan or Jawzjan (Persian: جوزجان‎ Pashto:جوزجان‎), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. The province is divided into 11 districts and contains hundreds of villages. It has a population of about 512,100,[ which is multi-ethnic and mostly agriculturers. Sheberghan is the capital of Jowzjan province. The province has immense natural gas reserves. Jowzjan is situated in the northern part of Afghanistan, bordering Turkmenistanin the north, Balkh province in the east, Sar-e Pol province in the south andFaryab province in the west. Jowzjan province covers an area of 10,326 km2. More than one quarter of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain (29.4%), while more than two thirds of the area is made up of flat land (68.9%). It is one of the provinces known to contain petroleum and natural gas.Mining and agriculture are the main industries.
Jawzjan has hot as well as cold seasons. During summer, the temperature soars to 46 degree Celsius while in winter it reaches to -25 degree Celsius

.  
Shabergan city-capital of Jawzjan province

Districts:
The province has 11 administrative units including Shiberghan the provincial capital, Khamyab, Qarqin, Aqcha, Maradyan, Fayzabad, Mingajik, Khaniqa, Khwajah Du Ko, QushTepa and Darzab are its districts. Majority of Jawzjan population hail from Turkmen and Uzbek tribes while Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara, Arab, Sadat, Qazaq also live in the province.

History
Between the early 16th century and mid-18th century, the area was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara. It was conquered by Ahmad Shah Durrani and became part of the Durrani Empire in or about 1750, which formed to the modern state of Afghanistan. The area was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. Jawzjan or Jawzjanan was considered a part of Great Khurasan. According to an eastern scholar, the word Jawz means walnut. The writings of several scholars offered a different view point about the geography, demography and history of Jawzjan.
In addition, local scholars praised Jawzjan province in their poetry and articles. The poetry of Farukhi Sistani about Jawzjan is widely admired.

Museum:
A small museum existed in the province which had the portraits of prominent poets and valuables discovered from Golden Valley. Foreigners visit the museum in large number whenever they visit the province.

Historical sites:
Golden Valley, Yashmak Valley, Shiberghan Fort, Tomb of Hazrat Yamin Shiberghani, Fort of Chaghchi and Aqchaluds are among its historical and ancient places of the province.The Golden Valley is situated at a five kilometres distance from Shiberghan city.More than 22,000 golden sties have been discovered. Archeologists from Afghanistan and former Soviet Union strived to discover the ruins of former Bakher Dynasty back in 1969.
The survey team then found five graves in Golden Valley after ten years of efforts in 1979.It was later found that graves belonged to the men and women from the royal family of Bakhter Dynasty and the same excavation led to the discovery of large amount of gold and other valuables.

      
Tela Tepa-Archeological Site of Jawzjan province and Ancient Mass Grave at the site

 
Gold ornaments discovered at Golden Valley of Jawzjan province

Culture:
Writers are of the opinion that Jawzjan has immense historical importance but the cultural activities started from 1961 after the publication of Diwah Weekly. A number of civil societies have been established in a move to promote educational, social and cultural activities in the province. National Journalist Union, Teachers Union, Zahiruddin Mohammad Babar Association, Association of Martyrs and Disables, Women Welfare Association and others social institutions are contributing to the progress and prosperity of Jawzjan.
The province witnessed establishment of several libraries in universities, schools, and other places of public gatherings.Special courses are introduced in the province in an attempt to facilitate hundreds of students to improve their art of calligraphy and get familiar with the profession of journalism.Similarly, the establishment of music tuitions’ academies has helped revive the traditional music of the province which was affected by the western music.

Personalities:
Jawzjan is known as the birth place of prominent personalities who contributed to the rich culture and history of the province as well country. Abu Sulaiman Jawzjani, Abu Obaida Jawzjani, Alhaj Maulana Sayyed Ghibullah Ghaibi, Dawlat Gailidi Fidai, Mir Mohammad Amin Qurbat, Qari Baig Murad Ghurbat and Alhaj Mullah Abid Ghurbat are among leading personalities of the province.


The great poet Faruqui Sistani

Media: Aina is the maiden television which was established in 2003. The Aina started programs across the country. Chilaw Saf, Nawa-e-Kohsar, Payam-i-Ulfat are among the print media that started publication in the province.

Education:
A total of 375 schools, three educational institutions and a teacher training center have been functioning in the province in which 175,000 students with 42% of them are girls get education by more than 4,000 teachers.The state-run university in Jawzjan province was established in 2001 having faculties of economics, engineering, computer sciences, social studies, chemistry, geology where 3,000 students are imparted education.

Natural resources:
Rich in natural resources, Jawzjan has more than 140 dug wells of natural gas reservoirs dug during the soviet era, however, the wells had to stop functioning in 1980s when Soviet Union decided to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.Meanwhile, 36 wells of natural gas have been providing facilities to domestic consumers and some industries in the province with a reasonable price.
A Gas Station in Jawzjan province

Industry:
Carpets, rugs, felt weaving; making of mud pots and different handicraft and wearing clothes are among the products of the province.Copper, iron, and gold industries have been reestablished in Jawzjan.
Skilled labors are working in the copper and iron industries who produces agriculture tools for farmers.Carpet industry has greater contribution and exporting stuff to Aqcha, Mangajik, Muradyan, Faizabad Qarqin, Khamyab and Khawaja Du Kho districts where majorities of families earn their livelihood from the profession. Weaving of carpet and different wearing products from animal herds are known in the province. Women of Jawzjan are skilled in designing clothes and other handicraft related stuff.

Agriculture:
Agriculture and livestock sectors are the two known sources of economy of Jawzjan people where 80% of its population is associated with the sectors.The total irrigated land in Jawzjan province is estimated at 215 hectares but the entire land of the province cannot be irrigated due to shortage of irrigation water.
The widely cultivated crops in the province include wheat, barley, corn, pulses and others.
In addition, the province produces 24 kinds of grapes and best quality of apricot, peach, pears, almond, walnut, plum, apple, cherry and other fresh fruits.
Jawzjan exports multiple products such as carpets, rug, animal herds and different kinds of garment.


The famous grape variety of Jawzjan province


A metal street of Aqcha district

Sport:
Traditional games, tradition dances, Buzkashi and camel race are common in the province.Similarly, as many as 17 federations have been formed which provides sport services in a professional way to players and athletes. Other sports such as football, volleyball, basketball, karate and taekwondo are also popular in the province.

CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO OF GOLDEN VALLEY (TELA TEPE)

Sar-E-Pol Province

 Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul (Persian: سرپل‎; Pashto: سرپل‎), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It borders Jowzjan and Balkh to the west and north, Ghor Province to the south, and Samangan to the east.The province is divided into 7 districts and contains 896 villages. It has a population of about 532,000, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. The city of Sar-e Pol serves as the provincial capital. Sar-i-Pul is among the richest provinces as far as its natural resources are concerned. The province has vast reserves of petroleum, copper and other natural resources. As many as 75% of its terrain is covered by mountains that’s why it is considered a mountainous province of the country.

Districts:
The province has a total seven administrative unites, the capital Sar-i-Pul city and Kohistanat, Sozma Qala, Sanag charakh, Gosfandi, Sayyad and Balkhab districts.

History
Between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty was signed in or about 1750, and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty. The area was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about one hundred years until the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Portrait of Ahmed Shah Durrani





Geography
Sar-e Pol is a mountainous province, especially in its southern part. It covers an area of 16,360 km. Three quarters (75%) of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain while one-seventh (14%) of the area is made up of flat land.

Demography
The total population of the province is about 532,000. The languages spoken in and around the province are Dari, Uzbeki, and Pashto. All the inhabitants practice Islam, majority of which are Sunnis while the Shias make up the minority.

Economy
Mining and agriculture are the main industries of the province. The province is located at the corner of country’s northern highway that’s why trade activities could not be flourished.
The Government of Afghanistan signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin, a project expected to earn billions of dollars over two decades; the deal covers drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol and Faryab and is the first international oil production agreement entered into by the Afghan government for several decades. Production of the Afghan oil began in October 2012, which is expected to increase to 1 million barrels per year in 2013.
Communications in and around the province are provided by Afghan Wireless, Roshan, Etisalat, and MTN Group.

Fuel and Oil Extraction Projects in Sar-e-Pul




Rivers
Two rivers knowing the Black and White flow in Sar-i-Pul which irrigates agricultural lands of the province. The level of water in the rivers reduces during summer season when farmers are in dire need of water to irrigate their crops. The farmers remained unable to cultivate any crops.

Agriculture:
Despite mountainous terrain, the province has plain areas for agriculture purposes. The province has a total 111,000 hectares cultivated land out of which 50,000 hectares is irrigated, 60,000 is rain fed and 18,000 hectares is covered by orchards. Wheat is widely cultivated crop with bumper production in Sar-i-Pul while barley, corn, sesame, melon, grapes, watermelon are other production of the province. In addition to agriculture, the province has vast livestock farms where different kinds of animals such as bulls, cows, sheep and hens are being kept. Many villagers run their daily economic activities with the revenue generated by dairy products and meat of animals.

Rich Agricultural Lands of Sar-e-Pol province

Natural Resources:
The province has immense importance because of its vast oil and gas reserves. The existing oil and gas reserves in the province stood at 2.8 million cubic meters. The most popular oil reserves of the province include Angot oil reserves with 15 demining spots, Qashqari oil reserves with 10 demining spots, Aqdarya oil reserves having eight demining spots and Awbazar Kamy oil reserves, having eight demining spots.

Culture:
Cultural activities do not take place in large number in the province as compared to other provinces of the country. Active part has though been taken by broadcast of National Radio Television. Print media outlets are seen absent from the scene but some local magazines and cultural societies bolstered the cultural activities in the province. In addition, some private sector televisions and radios such as Tolo, Shamshad, and Aryana Radio Television take part to revitalize the cultural activities in the province. Radio Bano and some monthly publications such as Payam-e- Shora, Sima-e-Zan, Ayana-e-Zan, Ambar and Sar-i-Pul are among the local publication of the province. Similarly, some cultural societies hold regular functions such Gulba Sabz Society, Kahkashan Society and Qalam Institute.

Education:
The provincial education department put the total number of schools in the province at around 380 in which 160,000 students were getting education. As many as 3,500 teachers were imparting education to students including contract and permanent. At least 40% among the students are girls. Besides schools, there are 18 religious Madrassas, a teacher training institute having branches in five districts and five vocational schools, two for agriculture and one each electric and petroleum related fields.
The Danish private sector high school is also serving in the province. In the recent past, Amir Sheer Ali Khan Private University has started functioning in the province.

Celebrities:
The Sar-i-Pul province is birth place of a number of celebrities including Abu Muslim Khurasani, Imam Yahya, Al Farikhon, Abu Obidah Jawzjani, Maulana Khadim, Ismail Balkhi, Minhaj-ul-Saraj, Qari Azim, Saif-ul-Din Noori, Sayed Mir Hussaini and others.

Sports: Youth of the province mostly take part in traditional games. People use to play football, taekwondo, and weight lifting.

Faryab Province

Faryab is known as the northern province of Afghanistan, sharing border with Turkmenistan.
Arab historians and Khurasani are of the opinion that province had different names in different times of period including Feiryab, Paryab and Baryab. Faryab was part of Kurasan region during the 6th Islamic century and area had large territory including the nearby areas of Jawzjan, which contributed to its strategic and economic importance in the 4th century. 

Maimana, the provincial capital of Faryab 

Maimana City View

A village in Faryab province

The renowned Layli plain is located alongside the vast border to the northeast of Jawzjan province.The mountain range of Turkistan located in the south of Faryab from east towards west and then touches Herat province alongside Murghab River. Its mountains are at 3,000 meters above the sea level. The province is said to be 844 meters above the sea level. The province has different weathers as compared to rests of the provinces. Faryab receives huge rainfalls during spring season. Because of producing bumper crops, Faryab was widely known a warehouse of Afghanistan. 

Darh Shakh Waterfall

Having a hot weather comparatively, the temperature soars to 36 degree Celsius in the province where average rainfall is estimated at 700 millimeters annually,

A breathtaking view of Maimaneh Mountains of Faryab province

Districts:


The capital of Faryab is Maimana city. In old days, the city was known Yahodiah, Nisayah and Muhariqah. Writers of Aryana cities said Maimana city was constructed by Jews for the first time on the directions of Bakht-ul-Nasar and the city was named as Maimana after it was conquered by Muslims.
The province has 14 districts including Pashtun Kot, Almar, Qaysar, Khawaja Sahib Posh, ShirinTagab, Dawlat Abad, Bilchiragh, Gorzaiwan and Kohistan.
The vast Andikhoi region covers few districts such as Qurghan, Qarmaqol and Khan Charbagh.
Majority of population Faryab are Uzbek while Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara, Mugul and other ethnicities reside in the province.
Faryab has a total of 1,450 villages and 1, 140 national solidarity councils throughout the province.

The Beautiful Mountains and River of Faryab province

A market place in Maimana city of Faryab province

Dams:

The only water reservoir Sari Hous Dam provides people and large swathes of the province with drinking and irrigation water facilities. The Maimana city and Pashtun Kot districts get benefit from the lone water dam. Farmers of several districts irrigate their fields with the help of stream and rivers water.

Culture:

Known as culturally rich, Faryab produced prominent leading writers and poets such as Zahir-u-Din, Ghulam Mohammad Maymangi, Mohammad Yahia Nadir Qaisar, Junidullah Khaziq, Maulvi Abdul Ghani Ilmi, Nazar Mohammad Nawa, Munshi Ali Raza, Mohammad Rahim Shida and others. While Abdul Ghafoor Poya Farabi, Asadullah Habib, General Mohammad Alam Razam, Mohammad Azam Dadfar, Dr. Sorya Dalil, Hasan Bano Gazanfar, Dr. Saboor Naryma and Abdullah Fojan are among the contemporary personalities.
During the last decade, numbers of education and cultural societies witnessed record surge such as Association of Pen and Arts, Gohar Shad Bigam Cultural Society, Institute of Scholars and Civil Societies, Civil Society Institute of Faryab, Eshang, Dostan, Jawanan-e-Mehan and Union of Journalist.

Art:

The services of Ghulam Mohammad Maymangi in the field of art and drawing are widely acknowledged. He died in 1930 in Kabul. Similarly, Abdul Aziz, Mohammad KazimAmini, Mohammad Dawood Najafi, Ustad Mohammad Sadiq Hajar and other celebrities have remarkable achievements and contributions.

History:

The province is known for tombs and shrines of renowned personalities including leading religious saints and prophets such as the prophet Danyal, Imam Sahib, Hazrat-e-Ali, Ashab-e-Kaf and Loqman-e-Hakim.

Curing springs:

The Curing Springs in Faryab has the affect of treating ill animals. Most of the farmers of the locality use to give a bath to their ill animals and ironically their animals get recovered.

Ruins of the city:

The ruins of Faryab province remind us the ways or living and ruling of various dynasties and kingdoms. The Maisarah Hill and Poll of Sultan Sanjar belong to Jalal-u-Din Akbar, son of Sultan Mohammad Khuarzam Shah in Qaysar, the Sultan Sanjar dam where winter palace of Jalauddin Akbar is located and several other places. Moreover, the tomb of Saif-ul-Maluk is located in middle of Maimana city who used to be the king of Yemen and Egypt during the time of Prophet Solomon. In addition, the Saif-ul-Malok Mountain, his throne and pond are located in the Khaja Ghar district.

Education:

The province has a total of 504 schools out of which 121 are high while the rests are intermediate and primary schools. As many as 400,000 students with 180,000 of them are girls students get education from 7, 700 teachers.

Universities:

The Faryab University is awarded the status of university back in 2012. It has the faculties of Education, Literature, Human Rights Studies, Economics, Agriculture and Law where 4,500 students with 40% of them are girls are enrolled in the university. As many as 82 teachers are teaching the students of the university.

Faryab University

Industry:

The carpet is known as a backbone of Faryab industrial sector with 65% population of the province are associated with the occupation of carpets weaving. The Faryab carpets have an international reputation. In addition, the weaving of common clothes, silk cloth, jackets, turbans, and designing of different kinds of cloth have considerably bolstered the handicraft sector of the province.
The Aqinah Transit Port is also situated in Andkoi district on the border with Turkmenistan where hundreds of transit vehicles transport goods to Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran, UAE, and Europe countries. The leather is being exported to foreign countries from the province. Shoes manufacturing industry has been functioning in the country. Copper, gold, iron and metal industries were on the upward trend in the past but the continued spell of war in the country dealt a severe setback to the industry.

The world famous Kilim carpets from Faryab

Agriculture:

Faryab has warm weather where 70% people are associated with the occupation of agriculture.
Most of the locally produced crops are being consumed within the province.
The grapes of Faryab have its own specialty and taste. The taste of Faryab melon are widely known and even liked abroad. Famous fruits of the province include fig, apple, peach, apricot, plum while walnuts, pistachio are the most producing dry fruit of the province.
Moreover, Faryab has suitable weather condition for the production of large scale wheat, corn, pea, bean, potatoes, cotton, sesame and tobacco. Tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots, onions, garlic, pepper, red and various other kind of vegetables have been produced in the province abundantly.
The residents of Faryab make some delicious dishes. The popular foods of the province are Qabuli, Uzbeki, Landi, Manto, Manto Tandoori, Tika Kabab, Chopan Kabab and Sheer Mahi.

The famous Chopan kabab of Faryab province

Sports:
 
Among the locals, Buzkashi, wrestling, karate, taekwondo, football, volleyball are the games played and watched with great zeal and enthusiasm. In addition, the cricket game has taken roots recently in the province. Buzkashi is a traditional game in the province.  

Badghis province

 

Badghis is one of the northwestern provinces with Qala-e-Naw is its capital city. The province shares border with Herat to the west, Faryab to the East, Turkmenistan to the North and Ghor to the south. The province covers 23,000 square kilometers area and comprised six districts with the estimated population of 439,500 individuals.

Qala - E - Nawa

During the reign of the Sassanian Empire, Badghis was a part of Sassanian territory’ following division of the Sassanian in the reign of Khusrau Noshirvan Iran was divided into four parts.
Badghis was also one of the 14 parts of Khorasan, and the name of Badghis ruler was Barazan, one of Khorasan four border guards. Similarly, Badghis was regarded as one of the Iran prelatures in the reign of Sassanian Empire and was exposed to invasion of Turks and Hephthalites. Badghis was regarded as part of the Hephthalites and resisted against Islamic forces under the leadership of Niazak Turkhan. Badghis was part of Heart territory till 1962, when Afghanis administrative and political units were specified. There are many traders and industrialists in Badghis who have Herati backgrounds and still kept themselves as Herati.

A beautiful Badghis village

Badghis is the birthplace of Hanzal-e-Badghisi, the first Persian poet of post-Islamic period.

Weather: 
Weather of Badghis is dry but mostly the province witnesss snowfall in winter with seasonal wind in the summer.
The province with special reference in the mountainous regions of the southwest and southeast has many beautiful natural sceneries such as Sabzak Mountain (also called Chashma haye Aab Frawan), covered with cedar (Archa) trees. Jewand valley is famous for its standing water (Poda) one of the natural sceneries of Badghis. The Murghab River located in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province and has a high level of water.

Sabzak Mountain Pass

Zarmast Mountain is the other natural scenery of the province, which has pleasant and praiseworthy weather. Despite having all the beautiful natural sceneries, Afghan kings and rulers had never paid attention to develop Badghis. 

The world famous Tulips of Badghis province

Ancient bridge on Bala Murghab river

The province has a legendary spring. Green slopes are full of yellow and purple Tulip flowers, which make it similar to a bride with a smile sitting in the bridal chamber waiting for her beloved.

Murghab river in Badghis province

Administrative units: 
Badghis province comprised of seven units along with Qala-e-Naw center of the province. Jewand, Ghormach, Muqur, Qadis and Murghab are its known districts.

Economy: 
The economy of the province is dependent on agriculture sector. Its agriculture is mostly rain-fed. Wheat, barley, maize, peas, cumin, sesame, watermelon and melon are its main agriculture products. Badghis is known as Gudam Khurasan and Hawza-e-Gharbi (Khurasan stock and western region).
Livestock and Qaraqul types of sheep are another occupation of the people which they export sheep, Qaraqul skin and wool to other provinces. Carpet weaving Industry is another profession of the hardworking residents of Badghis province that mostly housewives associate with the occupation in their houses. The carpets weaved in Badghis have its especial fame in domestic and foreign markets as stood in the first position in the international exhibition established in Philadelphia State of United state of America in 1970. The enterprise Shirkat Qalin Bafi Badghis (Badghis Carpet Weaving Company) continued its activities till 1992 with the central office in Kabul but forced to go to Samarqand City of Uzbekistan due to lack security and now work in the same name there.
Pistachio is one of the main products of Badghis which makes millions of revenue for the government and the people associated with the occupation.

Historical Monuments: 
Just a few kilometers away from Qala-e-Naw to the south of airport, a few arches the same as in Bamiyan was opened due to fall of rocks in the past years, possibly the arches date back to pre-Islamic periods.
Similarly, there is a Qala-e-Naraiman castle, which has ancient buildings and amazing monuments just 70-kilometers west of Qala-e-Naw.

The famous Qala-e-Naraiman Fort of Badghis

Tombs of Khusraw

Historian Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghubar has called it Kalivan Castel. Kalivan is famous for his battles against Genghis. He fought for six months till all food was finished inside the castle and then used to eat Gosht Qadid (dried meat of sheep) and pistachio till the last 50 remaining alive and sick. Finally, they opened the gate of the castle all of them were killed.
Another well-known castle by the name of Qala-e-Piwar, which called the sister of Kalivan (Naraiman) located near Qadis District. The castle also had resistance against the Mongolian invasion. The local people found lots of antiques from the castles but smuggled to Pakistan.

Famous people:

Hanzala-e-Badghisi, Fazal Ahmad Paiman, Samanbu Badghisi, Muallim Nik Mohammad Khan, Ahmad Bin Abdullah Khojistani, Abubaker, Wasima, Bismillah Bismil, Arfaq, Samango Badghisi and Naqibullah Arwin.

The famous poet from Badghis - Hanzala Badghisi

Agriculture: 

The economy of the province is dependent mainly on agriculture.
Agriculture in the province is mostly rain-fed and traditional. The agricultural products are wheat, barley, maize, peas, cumin, sesame, watermelon, melon and etc. Badghis has been famous as Gudam Khurasan and Hawza-e-Gharbi (Khurasan stock and western region). Livestock and Qaraqul type sheep are the second profession of the people which skin and wool are being exported to other provinces and countries.

Nut Farms in Badghis province

Media:
In addition to the Afghanistan National Television, Ariana Television and, Hanzala Radio have also strong presence in the province.
Badghis Website: http://badghis.com was created by some of the civil activist.

Education: 
According to information of education department, there are 457 schools with 75 high and the rests are primary and secondary schools. As many as 120,000 students with 35% of them are female students.

Culture: 
Badghis has excellent cultural background. Hanzala- Badghisi was the first Dari poet of the province but now Badghis is low in terms of cultural related activities. However, annual poetry gathering is being held in the province with poets from the neighboring provinces attend the gathering.

Sports: 
Football, volleyball, basketball, taekwondo, judo, karate, wrestling and cricket are the favorite sports being played by the youth of the province.